Grand jury indicts Seal Beach salon shooting suspect

January 18, 2012

SANTA ANA — The Orange County Grand Jury on Tuesday indicted Scott Evans Dekraai for allegedly murdering eight people and attempting to murder a ninth in what is now known as the county's worst mass murder.

The Huntington Beach resident faces eight felony counts of special-circumstances murder and one felony count of attempted murder. Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas is seeking the death penalty.

Dekraai, 42, pleaded not guilty at his arraignment Wednesday at Central Justice Center in Santa Ana. He is accused of walking into Salon Meritage in Seal Beach on Oct. 12 with body armor and three guns, allegedly to seek revenge on his ex-wife, Michelle Marie Fournier, whom he fought with over custody of their son.

A grand jury indictment means there will be no preliminary hearing, which is a court process where the judge decides whether there is enough evidence to go to trial.